1. Technical Field
This invention relates to child-resistant lighters.
2. Background Art
The simplicity and ease in operating a standard lighter poses a potential fire hazard when it falls in the hands of children. As an alternative, a number of lighters have been introduced to consumers with various ignition resistance devices to prevent use by children. FIG. 6 is an example of an alternative lighter with an ignition resistance device. The ignition resistance device depicted on FIG. 6 utilizes a protuded ledge, stopper, and compression lever to deter the movement of the nozzle lever. During operation, the compression lever is pushed down pressing the stopper inward causing the protuded lever to be wedged against the nozzle lever and preventing the nozzle lever to move downward. The benefit of using this type of lighter equipped with a compression lever as an ignition-deterrent device is its effectiveness in preventing children""s use. The downside, however, is the inconvenience of having to move the compression lever upward each time when a user needs to ignite the lighter. In addition, the complicated structure increases the cost of manufacture.
In an effort to solve the problems above, other types of lighters were introduced that contained ignition resistance devices but were simplier (One Touch) in operation. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of such a One Touch lighter. The One Touch lighter depicted in FIG. 7 utilizes an elastic wheel located on top of the spark wheel and connected to the metal cap. During operation, a user must apply enough force to the elastic wheel to turn the side wheel to create a spark.
The advantage of using a One Touch lighter is that the user can produce an ignition with one-touch operation. However, it is inconvenient to use in the sense that a user has to apply more force to the side wheels than he would with the standard lighter. Furthermore, given that the metal cap and the elastic wheel are positioned at the point where the flame is emitted, there is a potential for the user""s thumb and fingers to be burned.
3. Disclosure of Invention
The present invention is a cigarette-lighter with an ignition resistance mechanism. The lighter has an ignition resistance button which must be depressed simultaneously with the release lever which make ignition of the lighter difficult by increasing the requisite amount of force and manual dexterity needed to ignite the lighter. Additionally, the invention adds additional analytical steps to the operation of the lighter to further hinder the ability of small children to use the lighter.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention without intending to limit the scope of the invention which is set forth in the appended claims.